


I just can't figure you out

by makingitwork



Category: The Social Network (2010), X-Men The Last Stand, X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: AU, College, Happy Ending, Hurt and comfort, M/M, Mutants, Pining, Protective Mark, don't know how to tag, eduardo has powers, mark has powers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-17
Updated: 2016-06-17
Packaged: 2018-07-15 15:35:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7228420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/makingitwork/pseuds/makingitwork
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mark's currently at Charles Xavier's School for Gifted Children, and can't quite figure out Eduardo's power.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I just can't figure you out

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy!

Charles Xavier's School For Gifted Children, which is one of the most prestigious colleges for mutants in America, is a beautiful place. The building is designed and crafted like a work of art, and the grounds seem endless and always blissfully green, aside from in the winter months, when the huge lake ices over and people go skating in the middle of huge blankets of snow. 

Mark had settled in after a few months, he's on his second term, and he's made two friends. It's two more than he thought he would make.

There's Chris, who has the ability to view people's memories, and sometimes, when he summons enough energy and focus, he can display the memory like a mini movie, hovering and flickering slightly in this air. And Dustin, who has super speed. Mark had mocked that the first couple of times.  _Super Speed? What a cliche._ But after Dustin gets them pizza in the blink of an eye, and manages to take a peek at the exam papers before anyone's even sat down, Mark had quickly retracted his statement. 

Mark likes finding out people's powers. He likes it almost as much as coding. He likes seeing what people's main personality trait boils down to when it comes to their mutant genes. For example, Chris, it's easy to see why that's his power. He's so sensitive and considerate to people, he never judges them too harshly on their current actions, because he believes something has made them this way. And so, when puberty hit, he developed the power, to see exactly what it was that turned people into what they were now. Because he so greatly empathised with their unknown experiences, he was allowed to know them. 

And Dustin, super speed is a power a few people have, but for Dustin, it comes from his uncanny ability to procrastinate and avoid his problems. To run from them forever. The metaphorical value isn't lost on anyone. But Dustin insists that his powers have some basis in the fact that when he was a boy, his grandfather was his hero, and his grandfather had been an Olympic Sprinter, and Mark concedes. There can be many different reasons behind your mutation. 

His own is unusual. He can understand and work with any computer system or interface. It's completely unique to him. He can sit down at a computer, and just  _understand_ it. Right down to its wires and binary, he could do anything. He can programme like he can blink, and he can get into a locked phone, and hack into absolutely everything, because he knows exactly what to do. He supposes it comes from his huge skill and passion for coding that developed when he was eight years old, and his father had bought a giant, clunky, second hand computer from a garage sale, and they couldn't turn on it, try as they might, until Mark had sat down, and thoughtfully held the on button for exactly 3.8 seconds, and the screen blinked to life. 

Most people make their powers aware to another person within the first five minutes of conversation. It's as normal as asking 'what's your name?' it's something that you would just know about someone else. 

But there's one boy, in Mark's compulsory  _History of Mutants_ course, called Eduardo, and he's very pretty. Mark can appreciate that, and he can normally only appreciate the beauty in technology. He's got big hair and big eyes, and bronze skin, and smiles very kindly at everyone. And nobody knows his power. Mark had approached Professor X one afternoon and bluntly asked, and the man had chuckled good-naturedly, and touched his hand, mentally projected the response instead of verbally speaking. 

_You like to figure out the reasoning behind people's powers, Mark. Maybe by getting to know him, you'll be able to deduce it._

Mark grumbles, but nods to himself. He can be Sherlock Holmes for a while, he supposes. 

Getting to know Eduardo proves very easy. He says yes when Mark asks him to have lunch with him and Dustin and Chris, and they all laugh and talk, and spread out under a large oak tree near the lake, and complain about assignments. Eduardo was born in Brazil, his parents kicked him out at sixteen, and he worked in a small weather company for two years, before finding this school. 

One day, as the two of them are sitting by the lake, Chris and Dustin in class, or a lecture, Mark cocks his head 'hypnotiser?' 

Eduardo bursts out laughing, and shoves Mark's shoulder 'No!' He cries, scandalised 'as if! Gah, if I was, I'd make  _you_ clean your dorm room and eat food at normal hours rather than doing it for you!' His smile is soaring and like sunshine, and Mark grins 

'What is it then?'

'Oh no,' Eduardo shakes his head 'now you've started, you definitely have to guess.'

Mark thinks about Eduardo. Eduardo's home life obviously hadn't been very good, but he must have come from money. He understands social pleasantries and how to act in social situations with a flair you wouldn't have without prolonged exposure at least once in your life. He feels strongly about so many things, he's incredibly caring 'An empath?' And Eduardo bites his lip and shakes his head, as though he can understand Mark's logic, and Mark hums 'well it can't be a very useful one, considering you never use it.' 

'How do you know?' Eduardo teases 'I could be using it right now.' 

Mark glares hotly at him 'that's not  _fair._ You have to tell me!'

Eduardo just laughs and stands up, heading to his lecture, and Mark stays where he's sat until Dustin comes and sits beside him, and Mark can complain about how Eduardo is simultaneously adorable and just plain frustrating. Dustin knocks his shoulder 'why don't you just hack the school system and find it? They wouldn't even have a record you'd done it. You're way smarter than Hank at computers.' 

'I'm way smarter than everyone at computers.' Mark says petulantly, but can't help but think how wrong it feels to even consider just hacking. Eduardo deserves better than that. Besides, Mark doesn't want to  _cheat._ Well, he does on most exams, but this is different. Eduardo is different. 

Dustin grins like he knows what Mark thinks. 

And Mark wonders when he became so easy to read.

...

...

...

A month passes with different guesses, diamond form, telepathy, teleportation, adaptation, glowing in the dark, changing satellite frequencies, altering the weather (and Mark had thought he'd really nailed it that time. Screaming the word as soon as he'd seen Eduardo at the other end of the corridor with such confidence and flourish, it was nearly embarrassing when Eduardo pecked his cheek and sung the word no just as loudly) 

Mark's lying in bed; pondering, wondering whether or not he should just give up and hack the system, he'd tell Eduardo he did-

His phone buzzes.

**By the lake. Wanna show you something?**

It's Eduardo. Mark jumps out of bed, and yanks on his coat and flip-flops, and rushes outside. It's a quiet night, and a five minute sprint to the lake, but everything is bare and empty and beautiful, and Mark freezes when he sees Eduardo standing there, shirtless, his pyjamas bottoms slung low on his lips. 'You said you wanted to know my power,' Eduardo half smiles, but there's hesitance and a little bit of fear lurking in his eyes, lit up by the moon. Mark's eyes flicker over Eduardo's torso, not seeing anything unusual, and so he arches an eyebrow expectantly, and Eduardo laughs, a bit relaxed.

And then wings begin to unfold. 

 _Of course._ Mark thinks,  _wings. It's so obvious. Eduardo would want to fly away and escape._ But they aren't the normal white wings that the flyers have. They're red, and gold, and bronze, and orange, and christ, they're getting bigger. Unfolding further and further, until they stop, at least five metres either side of Eduardo. And jesus, they're  _magnificent._ Gold trimmed, and the feathers are so thick and lock together, they look soft and inviting and irresistible, and they're the biggest wings in existence, Mark is sure, they look royal, and glorious

'Holy shit.' He whispers, and Eduardo laughs delightedly, wings shimmering. 'Are they...'

'Ancient phoenix wings,' Eduardo nods, and Mark steps forward, and runs a hand over them, and Eduardo sighs softly at the touch, leans into it. 

'Phoenix?'

'Yeah. I'm also uh...like immortal or whatever.' 

Mark stares at him.

'You know,' Eduardo waves his hand 'phoenixes rise out of their own ashes, reborn. I'll keep being reborn into this body every time I die. I'll be a baby each time though, and I have no idea how the memory thing works. Like, I don't remember a past life, so am I the first? Or have I already been reborn, and I don't remember before? I'm not sure which I'd prefer, to be honest,' he bites his lips, and then one wing curls around Mark and draws him close 'bet you never would have guessed this.'

'Actually it was my next one. But I was holding off because I thought it was a bit obvious.' 

Eduardo laughs again, and Mark loves seeing him laugh, loves looking at those wings and that smile. 'Does it hurt when you fold them away?' The brazillian nods reluctantly 'then why do you do it? Why don't you let them out. You'd be...I mean, you already are, but everyone would think you were amazing, not that they don't already-'

Eduardo kisses him. Once, slowly, softly, wings wrapped tight around Mark, so to anyone who looked, there was just a cylinder of feathers amongst the night. Mark grins, and kisses Eduardo again. Before pulling back, still protected by their little cocoon. 

'Don't fold them away.'

He winces 'I...I'm used to it now-'

'The whole point of this school is to embrace your powers. To not be ashamed.'

Eduardo flushes 'Mark,' he says quietly, 'I just...I just need some time.'

'I don't understand.' Mark snaps, agitated 'they're  _beautiful,_ Wardo, you have to know that. Hiding them is like denying what you are, and that's cowardly.'

Eduardo draws away from him, eyes hard 'well, it's great that you have such insight, Mark. I'm going to bed.'

...

...

...

Eduardo apologises to Mark the next morning, and asks if he'll get Chris, and Mark does, a little curiously. 'I want to show you something,' Eduardo says, after talking to Chris privately for a moment 'a memory, I just...I want to start showing my wings, Mark, and I know that...that with your support, I really could,' he shoots him a small smile, secret and just for Mark, and Mark's heart warms inexplicably 'but I just need you to understand, and I'm not quite strong enough to tell you, so...' he holds Mark's hand, and Mark squeezes back reassuringly, and Chris steps up, happy to be of service. 

Mark watches the memory, eyebrows furrowed. 

_'Eduardo!' A tall, intimidating man calls through the bathroom door 'Come out of there right now!'_

_There's the sound of crashing, and metal hitting tiles 'O-one moment, Pai! I just-' the voice is high pitched, perhaps with fear._

_'You've been in there for an hour now!' There's more crashing, before Mr Saverin's had enough, and throws himself at the door once, and then again, and bursts through it._

_A sixteen year old, shirtless Eduardo stands there. Eyes wide and terrified. There are gold feathers on the floor, and specks of blood in the kitchen sink. Mr Saverin stares in horror, and tears well up in Eduardo's eyes 'I'm sorry! It's not! I'm not! I promise, Pai! I promise! I'm not!' He throws himself at his father's feet, weeping, and Mr Saverin stares down in disgust and horror._

_Bones are starting to hatch from his son's spine, a few feathers too, and Eduardo had tried cutting them away with a knife, and scissors. 'I knew it.' Mr Saverin shook his head 'a filthy mutant. You have brought disgrace on us.'_

_'No, Pai! I-I can make it go away! I'm sorry!' He clutches at his fathers legs, 'please! Please!' He's weeping, and Mr Saverin kicks him away, smoothing down his suit_

_'Pack your things.' He hisses 'and be gone by nightfall.'_

The memory flickers and disappears, the sound of Eduardo crying fading. 

Mark stares at the place the memory had been, and moves to hold Eduardo, eyes hard. 'I hate him.' Mark whispers into Eduardo's hair 'I hate him. You are  _perfect.'_

Chris smiles softly, and leaves.

...

...

...

Six months later, Eduardo goes out with his wings out for the first time. 

Everyone gawks at him, thinks they're beautiful, and amazing, and Eduardo spends the whole day blushing into Mark's neck, and Mark shows Eduardo off to the world. As if to say  _look at this wonderful, brilliant, beautiful man, and he's mine._ And they lie by the lake, Mark propped up by the oak tree, and Eduardo, and his magnificent wings spread out. 

'What are you gonna do after you graduate?' Mark asks, carding his fingers through Eduardo's hair

Eduardo yawns, snuggling into Mark's chest 'whatever you wanna do. I have no plans.'

'I kinda want to create a website. Something for everyone. Mutant and non-mutants. Just a...an interface for them all to chat on. I think that should be started in New York. You up for it?'

'Definitely. And then can we travel a little bit?'

'Of course. Imagine the money we'll save on planes.'

Eduardo smiles into Mark's chest, and drifts off to sleep. 

Mark startles slightly when he hears the professor's voice in his head, but it's not enough to wake Eduardo. 

_You're going to change the world, Mark. You understand people a lot better than you think._

Mark holds Eduardo tighter, and thinks he's on his way. 

**Author's Note:**

> If there's enough positive response, and/or prompts, I'd really love to turn this into a series :)   
> xxx


End file.
